


Stretched thin

by katiebuttercup



Category: Merlin (TV), Merlin - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic, F/M, Pining, Unresolved Sexual Tension, girl merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 15:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3415682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiebuttercup/pseuds/katiebuttercup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin struggles with her magic, keeping her magic a secret and keeping the Kingdom safe and being Arthur's maidservant. </p><p>One day is too much</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stretched thin

Disclaimer; characters do not belong to me 

Merlynn dumps the pile of linen on the bedspread and takes a deep breath. Her tunic rubs uncomfortably against the abrasions on her ribs from her latest attempt to keep Camelot safe.

She begins folding the linen methodically, trying to keep the edges as neat as possible like Gwen. It's close to impossible. Her eyelids feel weighed down, the smooth cream of the sheets blur in front of her. The rich, deep red of the comforter looks inviting. She just wants to curl up and sleep. 

"Get a grip!" Merlynn murmurs to herself. The dual life she leads is beginning to weigh on her as the danger Camelot faced seemed to get stronger and darker with every passing year and Merlynn was forced to expand more of her magic in order to stop it. 

And it wasn't as if she could explain to Arthur. 

Merlynn sat on the edge of the bed, hoping that taking the weight off of her feet would help but she could feel the tiredness creeping over her and the next moment she felt her body slump. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. 

X 

"Merlynn!" 

Arthur strides through his bedroom door, throwing his cloak in the vague direction of the wardrobe without looking. 

He frowns at the spilled contents of the basket of linen all over his floor, a snarl on his lips but it is quickly swallowed back when he realises just where his maidservant is. 

Merlynn lay sprawled inelegantly over his bedspread, body curved awkwardly. Arthur lets out an annoyed huff even as he wraps his arms around her waist, moving her into a more comfortable position. Arthur watches her unabashedly. He's not allowed to look at her the way he wants to, lest he reduce Merlynn to simply his mistress or even worse his whore in the eyes of the court. 

He forgets sometimes how young Merlynn is, it's easy to do so when she is forever in his face snarking and teasing him mercilessly. 

He forgets that this young woman came to Camelot, alone and burdened, hoping for a better life then the one she had come from. It's easy to be fooled by Merlynn's confident smile. 

He knows about her magic-he's not as stupid as everyone seems to think-he sees things but Merlynn seems to want him not to notice so he doesn't. 

It keeps him up at night sometimes. It is too big. To think of the many ways Merlynn has saved not only him but Camelot and still turned up in his bedroom ready to do her chores. 

He is not ashamed to say that sometimes he gives her more chores in the hope that it will keep Merlynn safe in the castle. That she will let him keep Camelot safe just once. But no matter what Merlynn always slips away. 

Arthur has had his own share of conquests, servants among them. He knows how tantalising "forbidden" trysts could be. He has imagined Merlynn in many of these scenarios more than once, choked back her name more times then he could count. But the most forbidden fantasy he keeps in his most secret of hearts is the one where Merlynn wears an identical crown to his and sits beside him in the throne room.

Merlynn's magic has captured him, he knows its not witchcraft but an older magic that was no sorcery. 

Merlynn frowns in her sleep, a deep furrow to her brow and Arthur smoothes it away. He glances at the large space in the bed beside Merlynn. He wants to lay beside her, draw the covers over them both and hold her. 

He wants to kiss her awake, draw a sleepy smile from her face and and then gasps as he peels away clothing peice by peice and make love to her. 

His hand travels down the soft slope of her cheek to the swell of her mouth, Arthur's fingers tremble over the wet texture of her bottom lip. 

He pulls away reluctantly. He can't touch Merlynn for long without feeling as if he had thrust his hand into a fire. In his haste he trips over the abandoned basket of linen, kicking it across the room. It bangs against the bed. 

Merlynn awakens, startled like a colt, eyes wide. Arthur takes advantage of Merlynn's confusion to assert himself. He puts his hands on his hips and adopts an arrogant, annoyed expression. 

Merlynn gathers herself, yawning but the moment she sees him her expression closes. Arthur's heart clenches. 

"Sire!"

"Is there a reason why you are sleeping when you should be working? And in my bed?"

He winces at the harshness of his tone but it's a necessity if he doesn't want to throw Merlynn back onto the bed and ravish her. 

"I was sleeping because some prat can't do his own laundry," Merlynn snaps back. 

"I'm a prince," Arthur says. 

"Still a prat," Merlynn says, she's embrassed, her cheeks tinged with rose. She begins to gather the linen and tosses it back into the basket. Everything in Arthur wants to bend and help her but he knows Merlynn needs the moment to gather herself. And he can't trust himself. Not until Merlynn leaves and he can take himself in hand. 

 

Merlynn finally gathers everything up, her skin once again pale. He'll be thinking of that blush and ways he could bring that flush to her cheeks for many nights. 

"Come back once your finished with the laundry I've got other chores for you"

Merlynn curtsies, "of course Sire" 

Sometimes he thought Merlynn's magic was fuelled by sarcasm. If as Gaius had divulged to him Merlynn was made of magic Arthur thought he could make a case that at least half of it was sarcasm. 

When the door shuts behind him he flops down on his bed-directly where Merlynn had lain moments before and soaked up her warmth still imbued in the sheets. He reached for the ties to his breeches and breathed in the scent of her.


End file.
